Belong village pioneer named national healthcare design champion

TRACY Paine, operations director at Nantwich-based Belong Care Villages, has been named as the UK’s Healthcare Design Champion.

She received the honour at the finals of the Building Better Healthcare Awards held at The Brewery in central London.

Belong already has four villages completed in the North West and Belong Warrington, opening next year, will become the fifth since 2007.

Tracy has taken the lead on all of these projects, described by the judges as “a new lifestyle concept where older people can feel at home in their own private space while being in close proximity to a range of facilities and activities.”

Tracy said: “Good design enables us to deliver the very best living experience for older people who either live in or visit our community villages.”

Damian Utton of Pozzoni architects, who nominated her, said: “Tracy leads the team with innovative design, development and operation of the villages. Her tenacity in striving for the best care and built environments for older people challenges convention and has led to new ways of thinking.”